A communication network, typically, supports two types of devices, herein referred to as anchor nodes and non-anchor nodes. For example, in a telecommunication network, a base station may act as an anchor nodes and a mobile station may act as a non-anchor node. Many a times, positional information of anchor nodes or non-anchor nodes is required. For example, in telecommunication network, positional information of a mobile station may be required by a user for navigation purpose, or by a service provider for surveying purpose etc. Similarly, the position information of a base station may be required by a service provider for various applications.
Some existing techniques require hardware upgrades on anchor nodes or on non-anchor nodes in order to position them. For example, some existing methods use GPS sensors for determining geographic coordinates of the base stations and the mobile stations. However, such methods prove to be expensive because of the expensive sensors required. Further, such method may be unreliable since, many a times, such hardware is fragile and can be damaged easily due to daily wear and tear. Moreover, the existing positioning methods may not be applicable to cases where a base station is mobile.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.